Florida basketball losing second-year forward to transfer portal

Florida forward Aleks Szymczyk spent his second year in Gainesville sidelined with an injury, and now he’s entering the transfer portal.

Florida forward Alek Szymczyk has entered the transfer portal, according to both 247Sports and On3.

An international signee with the program out of Germany in the class of 2022 cycle, Szymczyk played in 14 games as a freshman. He averaged 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds over 7.8 minutes per game. Nineteen of his 28 shots were 3-pointers, but he only converted four of them. He shot 4 for 19 at the free-throw line.

A broken left foot suffered in preseason camp kept him on the sidelines for the entire 2023-24 season. Szymczyk wasn’t guaranteed a prominent spot in the rotation, but it looked as if he would get a significant bump in minutes before the injury.

Florida returns just two forwards — Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Center Micah Handlogten is also on the roster, but he’ll miss most of the season after breaking his leg in the SEC Tournament. Just after Szymczyk’s announcement, Florida earned a commitment from Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis.

Szymczyk will have three years of eligibility wherever goes. There aren’t any obvious landing spots for him. He is the second player to transfer from Florida this offseason, following Riley Kugel’s commitment to Kansas.

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